Top 10 Deadliest naval disasters

For many people, the image of a maritime disaster calls to mind the sinking of the Titanic, which went down in April 1912 after striking an iceberg. Although the Titanic remains one of the worst naval disasters, it is still 2000 deaths short of being the deadliest. The following naval disasters only include non-war related sinking. The textual descriptions of each tragedy are excerpts from Wikipedia.

10. MS Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 – 2006 The MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was an Egyptian Ro/Ro passenger ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt. The ship was carrying 1,312 passengers and 96 crew members, according to Mamdouh Ismail, head of al-Salaam Maritime Transport Company. The ship was also carrying about 220 vehicles. Only 388 people were rescued. Al Salam Boccaccio 98 - 1020 deaths

9. RMS Empress of Ireland – 1914 RMS Empress of Ireland was an ocean liner built in 1905 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships. While steaming on the St. Lawrence River in fog, the Empress was struck amidships by the Norwegian coal freighter SS Storstad; and the fatally damaged vessel sank very quickly in the early morning of 29 May 1914. This accident claimed 1,073 lives, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in Canadian history. Empress of Ireland - 1,073 deaths

8. General Slocum – 1904 The PS General Slocum was a paddle steamer, built at Brooklyn, New York in 1891. On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum caught fire and burned to the waterline in New York’s East River. An estimated 1,021 of the 1,342 people on board were killed. The General Slocum disaster was the New York area’s worst disaster in terms of loss of life until the September 11, 2001 attacks. SS General Slocum - 1,021 to 1,342 deaths

7. Toya Maru – 1954 The Toya Maru was a Japanese train ferry constructed by the Japanese National Railways which sank during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu on September 26, 1954. It is said that 1153 people aboard were killed in the accident, however the exact number of fatalities remains unknown. Toya Maru - Estimated 1153 deaths

6. RMS Titanic – 1912 RMS Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world when she set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City on 10 April 1912. Four days into the crossing, at 23:40 on 14 April 1912, she struck an iceberg and sank at 2:20 the following morning, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people. RMS Titanic - 1,517 deaths

5. SS Sultana – 1865 The SS Sultana was a Mississippi River steamboat paddlewheeler destroyed in an explosion on April 27, 1865. This resulted in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of the 2,400 passengers were killed when three of the ship’s four boilers exploded and the Sultana sank near Memphis. SS Sultana - Estimated 1,800 to 2,400 deaths

4. Tek Sing – 1822 The Tek Sing was a large three-masted Chinese ocean-going junk which sank on February 6, 1822. In an area of the South China Sea known as the Belvidere Shoals. The ship was manned by a crew of 200 and had approx. 1600 passengers. The great loss of life associated with the sinking has led to the Tek Sing being referred to in modern times as the “Titanic of the East”. Tek Sing - 1800 deaths

3. MV Le Joola – 2002 MV Le Joola was a Senegalese government-owned ferry that capsized off the coast of The Gambia on September 26, 2002. The disaster resulted in the deaths of at least 1,863 people. MV Le Joola - 1,863 deaths

2. SS Kiangya – 1948 SS Kiangya was a Chinese passenger steamship which blew up, probably after hitting a mine which destroyed her stern, in the mouth of the Huangpu River fifty miles north of Shanghai on 4 December 1948. The exact death toll is unknown. 2,150 passengers were listed on the manifest (her official capacity was 1,186), but she was almost certainly carrying many stowaways. It is thought that between 2,750 and 3,920 died, with 700 to 1,000 survivors being picked up by other vessels. SS Kiangya - Estimated 2,750 to 3,920

1. MV Doña Paz The MV Doña Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after colliding with the MT Vector on December 20, 1987. With a death toll of at most 4,375 people, the collision resulted in the deadliest ferry disaster in history and is widely cited as the worst ever peace-time maritime disaster. It was traveling from the island Leyte to the capital of Philippines, Manila. Doña Paz - 4375 deaths